


Clear Water

by Kris675



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Breath of the Wild Spoilers, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Happy, Just let our fish boy be happy, No Angst, Post-Breath of the Wild, Post-Game(s), Slow To Update, Smut, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, soft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-05-29 13:07:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19400929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kris675/pseuds/Kris675
Summary: You ever just want to read a story that made you feel happy? No sadness, no conflict, just something to read and relax and just let yourself feel joy? Yeah, this is how I felt while writing this.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just something I felt like writing, will eventually turn into smut, gotta wait tho. Kind of reader insert? Reader has a name, it's hard to write without one. Reader is female.  
> Lemme know what you guys think, be gentle tho, I'm sensitive.

The ride up had been a bumpy one, the trail was safer now that Hyrule was at peace again, but still, would it have killed the Zora to pave the road up there? You traveled along the way up to Zora's Domain on the back of a cart of another merchant you met along the way. You had always longed for adventure, and since it was finally safe to do so again, you took this opportunity head-on. Zora's domain wasn't far away now, you sat next to the other merchant, Barro was his name, steering the horse that pulled you along. It was really a sight to behold, it was like nothing you had ever seen before in your life. You thought the architecture of the landmarks on the way up were beautiful, but this here just took your breath away. Barro had stopped just before the bridge to the small city, setting up camp on the grass.

"Don't think horses are allowed in there." Barro stated. "Hope the ride didn't tire you out too much." He laughed.

"Thanks, I really don't think I could've made it here without your help. It would have taken me at least a week on foot." You said, lowering your hood to look at the scenery around you. Digging in your bag, you pulled out your rupees to give to him.

"Nah," You were surprised when he waved your hand away. "You save that, at least save up to get yourself a donkey or somethin', you ain't gonna go far on your own two legs, I promise you that. Unless you sprout fins like these Zora and swim your way around!" Barro laughed, holding his belly. You couldn't help but laugh too.

"Thanks again, I'll see you inside." And with that, you almost ran across the bridge into Zora's Domain. If you thought it was beautiful on the outside, the inside was even more so. You kept whipping your head back and forth to drink it all in, you were very much aware you looked like a tourist but at this point, you didn't care. You nodded at the guard as you walked by, wow, the Zora were much taller than you thought, you were only up to the waist on some of them. You felt dwarfed in this town, absolutely feeling like an outsider, but not unwelcome. Stepping up to the statue, you made a mental note to come back and sketch this. The look on the statue's face was too beautiful not to. All your life during the calamity you had never thought you would have the opportunity that you have now to go out and explore, and while here you wanted to make the absolute best of everything you had. With the confidence of someone much bigger than you, you strode up the stairs to the throne room, intent to make the best of this opportunity before you.

"Excuse me, what do you think you're doing? The king is not receiving visitors today." A harsh-sounding voice stopped you in your tracks. An odd-looking Zora stood before you, dark green skin and a harsh gaze down at you. He looked different from the other Zora, he had a much larger head that was shaped differently. Suddenly you stopped your thinking and scolded yourself. You had to remind yourself not to judge the way others look, even the Zora.

"I'm sorry," You took a step back, putting your hands up to show you meant no harm. "I don't mean to intrude, honest. I'm just a traveler, but..." Suddenly you realized just how bold you were being, striding right up to the throne room, seeking an audience with the king for no reason other than it being something to brag about back home. "I just... Wanted to introduce myself..." You ended up trailing off. Okay, now you realized just how stupid you sounded.

"Hmph, the King has no desire to-" The Zora was cut off mid-sentence by a booming voice.

"Muzu, step down. I expected more of you, we are in a time of peace, after all!" The king called from inside the throne room. Wow. If you thought the other Zoras were bigger than you before, even they had been dwarfed by the size of their king. "Come, traveler, we welcome outsiders now that the sky is clear and the roads are safe." The Zora Muzu made an indignant sound as he stepped aside, letting you through. He didn't look happy, but you didn't look back at him as you made your way to the king. Your boots sloshed through the water before the platform, where you stood staring up at the king. You had to tell yourself to close your mouth.

"Tell me, Traveler, what is your name?" The king leaned forward, seeming excited to finally begin to open up trade again to his people.

"River." You stated, trying to project your voice with the confidence you had just before pretended to have.

"What a fitting name." The king then laughed, which made you feel better, honestly. "Well River, Zora's Domain is open now, you may come and go as you please."

You grinned at the king as he spoke to you. "Thank you!" Wow, you'd really pulled off a meeting with a king, huh? You were elated to hear him give you praise, and with all the elegance of the farm girl you were, you gave an awkward bow to the king. You turned on your heels to leave, whirling yourself around, and walked right into someone, causing you to fall back into the water around the throne room.

"My apologies, young Hylian!" Towering over you was a red Zora, half the size of the king, but twice the size of the other Zora you had seen. Sitting up in the water you looked up at him and felt flustered. You fell on your ass in front of the king. Great. This was absolutely not the story you wanted to tell back home. Suddenly, the towering Zora stooped down onto his knee and began to help you up, gently placing his hand around your waist and the other hand taking yours in his, he gently lifted you to your feet. "I apologize, you did not hurt yourself, did you?" Your shiver immediately died as his arm around you warmed you right up, and your embarrassment also helped a bit as well.

"Uh," Your cheeks burned as this Zora almost held you in his arms. You were dripping wet and your confidence was gone at this point. "I'm so, so sorry" You took a step back and out of his grasp, you didn't know what to do with your hands, so they made their way to the bottom of your tunic, squeezing the water out. At this point, you just wanted to curl into yourself and disappear. "I'm sorry, I should have looked." You put your hands up in front of you and tried to take a step back and out the door. This time, your back hit into Muzu, as he was making his way into the room. He gave you a very stern look as you jolted forward, at this point covering your face with your hands. You muttered one more apology and actually turned around to leave this time.

"Hey there friend, what happened to you? You look like you took a jump in the lake!" The merchant Barro waved and made his way over to you. You nearly died retelling him what just happened. And you wanted nothing more than to punch him when he laughed so loud the other Zoras began to look their way.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning you didn't bother getting up right away. You lied on your bedroll for a while before making your way over to the shop. It was a warm day out, and the sun was shining, so you didn't feel the need to layer up, just your tunic, tights, and boots, leaving your gloves and coat with the rest of your things. You took yourself over to store across from the inn and found the merchant there. You had only come from your home in Hateno, so you hadn't adventured much or found much along the way, but you traded what you could, and you actually ended up walking away with more money than you thought you would.

"You're got gonna give me much for this fish I caught, are you?" You pulled a trout out of your bag and slapped it on the table in front of you.

"I'll give you about as much as any other merchant would, don't worry." Cleff, the blue Zora who owned the shop told you. He leaned forward and put his elbows on the desk and his head in his hand to be more at your level. "The Zora here spend a lot of time fishing on their own, so mostly the fish I buy here goes to other tourists like you."

"Huh." You casually threw out as you began searching through your bag for more fish you had caught the day earlier. You hadn't noticed that his eyes strayed for a moment behind you, but then returned once you traded him the fish. "Thanks." You mention, then shake the Zora's hand with yours that was still wet from retrieving the fish. He tried to huff out a laugh as he took the stock from you.

Happy with your trades, you once again grabbed your bag and turned on your heel, to once again, walk face-first into the huge red Zora. This time, you went mouth first into his ornate belt, hitting your teeth against it and rattling your head. You brought a hand up to your mouth when you tasted a small bit of blood.

"Oh no, I am very sorry, I didn't mean to harm you." Once again he was leaning down on one knee, one hand had grabbed your shoulder to keep you from falling back and the other brought up close to your face. You looked up at him, his yellow eyes actually filled with worry. "I only meant to startle you, I did not intend for you to get hurt, I am sorry. Are you alright?" He gently placed his hand on yours to move it away from your mouth to see if he hurt you.

You, being you, did the only thing that came to your mind.

"We have to stop running into each other like this." You bit your tongue a bit, not even realizing at first you were being so sarcastic, but to your relief, the Zora began to laugh.

"I'm glad to see you are not hurt, I do apologize again, though. That will be the last time I try that, I swear." He gave you a sharp, toothy grin that you couldn't help but grin back at. Though you saw him flinch a little when he saw the blood on your teeth, quickly, you closed your mouth again. Suddenly, he realized he was still holding your hand in his, and quickly let go, releasing your shoulder as well. You felt the warmth of his hands leave you feeling somewhat cool, but you grabbed your bag and threw it back over your shoulder.

"Hello Prince Sidon." The shop owner, Cleff, piped up after the two of you removed yourselves from each other. The prince righted himself and stepped over to talk to Cleff, but for a moment, you froze. That was the prince? The Zora you have made a fool of yourself in front of twice already was the prince? And you thought it was bad enough messing up in front of the king like that. Apparently, you're a joke to the entire royal family. Quickly, before you could make any more of an ass of yourself you gathered your things and left the shop. You all but ran back to the camp you and Barro had set up just outside of the city.

You plopped yourself on the ground beside your friend, your face flushed red. "Make a fool of yourself in front of royalty again?" He had asked without even looking up from his food. You tried to swat at him, and he ducked and laughed. One more day in this city, then you can go on and make better first impressions in the next one.


	3. Chapter 3

You had been sitting on the floor of Zora's Domain for quite some time now. You were sitting as close to the statue as possible without sitting in the water. Your sketchbook sat in your lap, one arm wrapped around the book, the other arm holding the pencil, scratching away at the paper. It was almost noon already and quite a bit warm out, but you'd hardly noticed, being so nose deep in your book. The Zora children ran around, splashing water at your outstretched legs, but still, you hadn't taken notice. You were almost done drawing her face, whoever she was, adding as much detail as you could, almost as if you were trying to bring her to life on the page.

"Pardon me," The voice from the Zora prince broke you out of your concentration. You craned your neck looking up at him and placed a hand over his eyes to keep the sun out of them. "I don't mean to intrude, but I'm interested to see what you're doing." Once again, you saw him take a knee to be closer down to your level.

That didn't help much, though. You quickly stood up and held your book up for him to look at. "This statue fascinates me, I wanted to draw it before I left so I won't forget it." You admitted, looking down now at the floor.

"Is that so?" Sidon exclaimed, putting a hand on the book, but not taking it away from you. "This is very good, I must say. It bears an uncanny resemblance to my sister, Princess Mipha. Though I would like to clarify, why have you drawn her with her eyes closed?" Releasing the book back to you, he looked directly into your eyes. You gulped.

"Well... The statue doesn't give that much detail..." Your words were lost now, staring up into his curious eyes. Then, something hit you. "Though that's your sister, right? Well... Tell me if I'm being too bold. But, let me draw you. If that's alright! Just to fill in the gaps, you know? Since she's not here, and all, and you are, so if it's ok, though I understand if it's not." Suddenly you noticed you were rambling. Here you go, making an ass out of yourself once again. At this point, you wished you could just curl up and disappear, but you settled for bringing your book up to hide your face.

"That's a wonderful idea!" Sidon then exclaimed. He then brought his face closer to yours, and when you lowered your book to look at him, you almost stumbled back again from how close he was to you. You took a quick step back and looked at him, then around the two of you to try and find the spot with the best lighting. Clouds flew above you, darkening the area you were in, and when Sidon saw the discouraged look on your face, he stood and looked around as well. "This way." He said, then beckoned you to follow him. He strode up the stairs and led you out to one of the bridges leading out of the city. There the light was much better, and there was a box just sitting on the bridge.

"Here." You stopped him mid-stride and took hold of his arm. You brought him to the far side of the bridge and had him sit, from there, you moved the box on the bridge to the right spot and sat down facing him. You sat down and began drawing his eyes. Sidon took this moment to relax, leaning back on one of his hands and looking directly at you, studying your face as you concentrated on drawing him.

Time went by where the two of you just sat there, looking at each other. Even though you were so focused on drawing you did take the time to notice just how intense his gaze was. You wondered if his sister was like that too, as you tried to capture every emotion you could on the paper.

Eventually, you took one last look at your book, then back at him, and smiled. "Here." You handed him the book and he took it without a word. You saw his face suddenly change, filled with such emotion that you couldn't quite place.

"Thank you." He said, then looked right back into your eyes. He honestly looked like he could cry, but he smiled and the tears never fell. "This is exquisite, you really do have quite a talent here. Where did you learn to draw like this?" He began making conversation while looking back at the picture of his sister in awe.

"My mother taught me how to draw," You mentioned, hopping off the box and sitting on the floor of the bridge next to Sidon, at this point, the sun was behind the two of you now and it was beginning to get dark. "Other than farming, that's really all I know how to do. I can fish ok too, I guess, but drawing I think is the only skill I have." You didn't know why, but you honestly felt comfortable speaking with him now. Maybe it was all that staring into each other's eyes, that had to have done _something_. You both sat there chatting with one another for some time, the sun had gone down behind the two of you.

"It has been over 100 years since my sister has died protecting these lands." The prince suddenly admits, reluctantly handing the book back to you. "It was nice being able to see her face again. Thank you." He then stood up, brushing the dust off himself and then holding his hand out to you. This time you took his hand and made a mental note of how warm he felt, you wanted to remember it this time. The size difference between the two of you made you feel small, but it wasn't unwelcome. "I believe I took up your entire day, I apologize for that." He let go of your hand and put his own to his chest, giving you a small bow. "I must bid you goodnight."

"Good-" You stopped yourself mid-word, and then had an idea. Suddenly, you grabbed your book back up into your arms and carefully tore the page out, causing Prince Sidon to look confused and concerned. Then you handed him the picture you drew of his sister, smiling. "Here, please, take it." Reluctantly, he took the page from your hands and looked between it and you. 

"I..." Suddenly Sidon stooped don and grabbed your hand in his. "Have I mentioned how incredible you are? And how thankful I am?" He grin was so wide it looked like his face would split open.

"No, you haven't." You said before you caught yourself, but again to your relief, he laughed. Sidon then looked at the picture again, then back to you.

"Will you not sign your work?" He motioned for you to take the drawing back. Almost reluctantly, you took the picture back and wrote your name into the farthest corner. Embarrassed, you handed it back. "River?" He spoke your name as he read it. "What a fantastic name!" If he was hiding the fact that he didn't know your name, he blew it at that point. This time, though, Sidon took your hand in his and bends his entire body down to you just to kiss the back of your hand. He then looked you in the eye and said again, "Thank you."

At this point you were so flustered you didn't know what to say. Finally, he bid you goodnight and he parted, leaving you standing alone on the bridge for quite some time as you thought about what just happened.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This is literally JUST FLUFF. NOTHING BUT FLUFF. I'm kind of ashamed writing this, but, here you go. I like it when people are happy...

It was still very early the next morning when you sought out to find the prince. Barro was leaving back home and offered you another ride out of Zora's Domain. You knew that if you didn't go with him that you would most likely have a long journey out of the valley, but you were kind of sad that you'd be leaving so soon. You walked through the domain, drinking in the sight of the beautiful architecture one last time.

The tallest Zora you'd ever seen had caught your eye, standing in front of the statue of Mipha looking very thoughtful at her. You stopped and took your time to admire him admire the statue, and eventually, you shook yourself from your thoughts. As quietly as you could you walked up to him, your hands behind your back and looked between the statue and him again. He didn't seem to notice you yet. Good. You couldn't help but smile as you then gently bumped your hip into his leg, causing him to look down at you, confused.

"Whoops, sorry." You laughed now, and you watched his face slowly form into a grin. "Hey, so, I just came to say bye. Barro is heading out today and offered me another ride back down the trail." You looked up at him and saw his grin was starting to fade again.

"Gone so soon?" He asked, his hand on his chin. "It's a shame, you've only been here such a short time!"

"Honestly? I know myself too well, I'm afraid I'm gonna get lost off the path and never find my way back. I would have liked to go fishing a little bit more before I moved on, but..." You started playing with your own fingers, you really didn't want to go so soon, you'd only just made a friend out of the handsome Zora you repeatedly embarrassed yourself in front of.

Wait, handsome? You didn't realize just now you considered him such, but when you looked up at him again, the thought came right back. Crap.

You watched the prince consider something for a few moments before he looked back at you. "Well, dear River, allow me to thank you properly, then, for your gift." He said and then turned to face you. "By Oren bridge on your way down the mountain, just next to it there is a standing rock were schools of fish could always be found. By that bridge you may fish to your heart's extent, and if your friend does not wish to wait for you..." He took your hand in his at this next part. "I will see you personally the rest of the way."

Your face flushed at this. By now he should be used to your face being completely red, but now was for something different. You didn't know what to say to that, he was being... Too polite. You knew how men flirted, this wasn't it. He was being just really nice, right? Heck if you knew.

"Thank you! Well, then... My prince. It's a date! I'll see you by the bridge!" You couldn't have sounded any more awkward. Quickly you pulled your hand from his and walked back along the bridge out of Zora's domain over to your friend who was waiting. Once again, you just made a total fool out of yourself in front of the Prince of the Zoras. Did you really have to call it a date? You were a wreck.

You'd asked Barro to let you off down by Oren bridge. He checked in with you to make sure you'd be alright, and you assured him that you would be. You bid him farewell and hoped you'd run into him again in your travels. You took a look around, as it was a rather beautiful spot, the river running by gently, the sun shining brightly off the water. The breeze only went one way down the valley and it was nice, it was kind of warm, but nice all the same.

You made yourself comfortable at the bank of the river, and you kicked your shoes off to dip your feet in the water. You grabbed from your bag your fishing rod that was in three separate pieces. Your friend back from town, the scientist Purah, had helped you design it. She was an absolute genius, and despite her being both older and younger than you at the same time, she was still a good friend of yours who had been teaching you what she could. She'd known your family for generations, and she always made mention to an ancestor of yours by the same name you reminded her of. Of course, you'd remind her of your ancestor, you're related after all. You put together your fishing rod and set some bate, and then just spent the next few hours casually fishing. You'd always been most relaxed on your own, which is another reason why travel seemed to suit you, as you'd be spending long stretches of time on the road alone.

Sidon had been right, the fish really were biting down here. You'd caught another bass, removed the hook from its mouth and put it away with the rest of your catch. This was fantastic, hopefully, if you'd saved enough money you'd be able to buy a horse of your own. You knew you wouldn't be talented enough to tame your own from the wild, so you saved as much as you could. You counted what you'd caught, doing some quick math in your head. You were close now, maybe you'd get lucky and find some ore on your way to death mountain? Who knows, but after that, your trip all the way over to the Rito village would be a long one. A horse would be _really_ nice.

After time had passed, you'd heard the water move. You glanced up to see if the fish were jumping, but the water looked odd. You leaned in closer to get a better look at what was hiding right underneath the surface, and without warning, Prince Sidon's face was only inches from yours. You jumped back and screamed, dropping your fishing rod in the water. You tried to compose yourself as you heard the prince laugh, and then he dove under the water to grab your rod and place it on shore for you.

"You stop doing that right now!" You tried to sound angry, but you'd started laughing as well.

"I can't help it if it's just so easy." Sidon said, and then pulled himself up out of the river to sit next to you. Water was dripping off of his body and you honestly couldn't help but stare. What was wrong with you? Dozens of eligible people back in Hateno and your heart flutters for a _Zora_? And the _prince_ at that?

"Hey, uh, thanks. For letting me follow you the rest of the way. The path gets really weird in some parts and I was afraid of getting lost." You tried to push your hair back out of your face, but the wind kept blowing it in your eyes, causing you to have to keep moving it back and feeling really dumb because of it.

"Do not worry, dear River, I've only known you a short time and you've proven yourself to be a wonderful friend." He gave you a big toothy grin as he complimented you, causing you to blush but thankfully it was covered by your hair. "So, back down the river we go?" He said and then stood up, holding his hand out for you. You stood up and craned your neck to see him. The next thing you saw was him take a fantastic leap straight up into the air, he flipped a few times and did a perfect dive. Once he surfaced you clapped for him, impressed by his talent, and this time he was the one that was blushing. It was hard to tell from where he was, but it was there, you knew.

"Let me get my stuff." You called and started gathering your things together and taking apart your fishing rod again.

"The road winds a bit from here, but it stays relatively close to the river." You heard him call over to you, and you looked and saw him swimming around a bit, taking a look on ahead. Suddenly, you got an idea. "It shouldn't be too difficult to get back, and the roads are safer now, but it is still quite dangerous to be on your own. That's why I'm quite happy to escort you-"

As he was talking you quickly threw off your clothes, stripping down to your underwear. Without warning, you took a running leap and dove headfirst into the water. It wasn't nearly as graceful as what Sidon had done, but when you surfaced he swam right up next to you, quite confused.

"I was afraid to go swimming back in the domain!" You tried to explain quickly. "But I was afraid it was, like, sacred or something, and I've been itching to get into the water since. I'm not breaking rules, am I?" You suddenly inched away from him, feeling like maybe he would scold you, but instead, he smiled.

"River you can swim wherever you like!" Once again he gave you a big toothy grin and you felt at ease.

You'd wanted to play around in the water for days now; you'd always loved swimming. You swam back a bit and dove under the water, doing a little backflip, and then you opened your eyes to see that Sidon was swimming right below you. You grinned at him, your mouth filling with water but you didn't care. You held out your hand to him and he took it and you locked eyes again. You stared at each other under the water, rays from the sun shining down and making his eyes glisten. Frick. He swam to the surface, pulling you with him and you spat the water out so you could catch your breath. You locked eyes again at the surface of the water and you quickly dove back under.

You'd realized, you were playing together as you swam. You didn't know how long you were in that river for, but you had the most fun. You were sure you looked like a little kid splashing around like that, but you couldn't help yourself, you were having fun. Suddenly you spotted something glimmering underwater, and when you tried to swim and grab it the current kept pulling you away. You looked at Sidon and pointed up, and when you brought your head above the water he joined you.

"There's something down there and I can't reach it, can you help?" You asked him, and he got this look in his eye that made you suspicious. Suddenly his arms were around your waist, and he swam you down to the bottom of the river. Once there he sat on the bottom of the riverbed and placed you in his lap, his hands tight on your hips to keep you from floating off. Your face must have been so red from this that you could feel the water get warmer around you. But, this was the perfect spot. You saw the shine again and dug in the dirt with both your hands to uncover a beautiful silver ring with a ruby in it. Once you'd had it in your hands Sidon swam the both of you back up above the water so you could catch your breath.

"Look." You held the ring up to his face, his hands still around you. "It's so beautiful!" You held it up to look at it and then slipped it onto your finger.

"Someone must have dropped that long ago, it looks quite old." Sidon said into your ear, and you could feel yourself shiver. He'd never been this close to you before, huh? And there was something about being in the water together that made this feel a lot more... Intimate, to you. But when you were looking up at the old ring on your finger, you felt raindrops hit your hand.

"My stuff!" You shouted and swam out of Sidon's grasp. You'd made it back to the shore and you took your bag and clothes and brought them under a rock that made almost a small cave in the side of the mountain.

"What's this? You spend most of the day swimming and now you're afraid of the rain?" Sidon asked as he pulled himself up onto the shore.

"I'm waterproof, but my stuff isn't." You stuck your tongue out at him and laid out your clothes for them to dry off a bit.

"Well now, how am I going to take you down the mountain?" Sidon strode up to you, his hand on his chin, looking down at you in your little cave. You thought for a second and your face went hot. You'd looked over and saw him looking right into your eyes. Wait, was he flirting?

"You, uh... It's alright, you can leave me here for the night. It'll probably clear up in the morning." You got defensive for a second, becoming increasingly more aware that you were just standing there in your underwear and nothing else.

"That would absolutely _not_ be proper, leave you here on your own?" He went up to your cave with real concern in his eyes.

Shit, you ruined it. "Listen, if you wanna wait out the rain with me here, you can, I won't stop you..." Actually, that didn't sound like too bad of an idea. You really didn't want to leave yet, and you didn't want him to leave... You quickly brushed the leaves off the floor of the cave and threw some stones outside, making a comfortable sitting place for him. You gestured to the spot you made for him and he gave you a smile before joining you out of the rain.

You sat down right next to him, but you realized that the cave was a lot smaller than you had first thought, and to make room for the both of you, you had to practically sit in his lap. Your leg was pressed up against his, but you didn't mind it from how incredibly warm he was. An awkward silence hung in the air between the two of you. You glanced up at the Zora who towered over you and noticed him looking down at you as well. Quickly you averted your eyes. Crap, this was awkward... You looked back up at him as he looked out at the rain. He looked so... You couldn't put it into words, really. But you liked it. Something about him was just so intense that you wanted to get lost in him...

"Hey." You spoke just loud enough for him to hear you over the rain. He glanced down at you and your face grew hot. "Can I draw you?"

"Is this another picture of my sister?" He asked, turning his body towards you.

"No, I want one of you now." You smiled up at him when you noticed his own face growing as red as the rest of his scales. "I'm going to be coming back here eventually, but while I'm gone, I think I'd like something to remember you." Your smile grew wider when Sidon became more and more flustered. You quickly turned to dig your sketchbook from your bag. You set your bag so you could lean against it and face him. You set your book in your lap and looked up at Sidon, who still looked slightly flustered. "Just relax. Like before, okay?" It took him a moment, but Sidon eventually made himself comfortable and you started sketching him.

The silence in the air between you now was a comfortable one, like when you last sketched him. This time felt more... Intimate, though, since you were doing this more for selfish reasons. You were truthful, you really didn't want to forget him. You had no idea how long you'd be gone, so while you're away, you'll have this to remember the most handsome Zora you'd ever met.

The rain had stopped long before you finished your picture, but neither of you mentioned it. You wanted to make sure it was perfect, and you took a little extra time to get the detail in his eyes just perfect. Finally, once you were done you stood up and showed him the finished picture. You held the book up for him but he didn't take it from your hands. Instead, Sidon's hands fell over yours to pull the book closer for him to get a good look. He smiled and then released your hands.

"You never fail to amaze me. It's uncanny the resemblance." He grinned and you saw his sharp teeth shine. You grinned back at him, a blush creeping up on your face. You put your book back into your bag and looked around, the ground was still wet but the sky was clear now. You were still in your underwear from swimming earlier, so you threw your clothes back on and fastened your boots to actually get going for real this time.

Once ready, you threw your bag back over your shoulders and grinned over to Sidon. Away you went, Sidon back in the water, helping lead you where to go. You spent the rest of the way down just chatting, you from the path and him from the river. He swam rather slowly to match your pace, which was slow to begin with, but eventually as the sun began to set, you reached the end of the path. You stopped and looked on and Sidon joined you on the land to see you off.

"I must say, it was a pleasure meeting you." Sidon said as he took your hand in his again, bowing slightly to you.

"I should be thanking you." You honestly couldn't stop smiling at him at this point. "I couldn't stop falling for you before, thanks for putting up with that."

"Are you still?" The words seemed to leave him before he had a chance to stop himself. He realized what he said and quickly righted himself, letting go of your hand and standing up tall. Both of you were flustered now and the awkward silence came back.

Well, honestly, it was now or never.

You beckoned for him to lean down to your level again, and after a moment he obliged. He took your hand in his again and leaned his face down close to yours. Perfect. You stood tall on your toes and leaned in to kiss him. You aimed for his cheek but got more of his chin instead. Quickly you stepped back, your hand falling out of his as he stood there with a surprised look.

"Goodbye for now!" You called back to him and waved as you quickly trotted down the path.

"Goodbye, River." You heard him call back to you.

You wouldn't be back to Zora's Domain for six months, but you thought of him every day you were gone. You _had_ to go back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! If you like my stuff, come find me on tumblr. I'm always excited to talk to people. Questions? Concerns? Just wanna straight-up fight me? Come get me on tumblr.  
> https://river675.tumblr.com/

You hadn't expected to be gone for an entire six months. In your time you had traveled farther than you'd ever been, meeting new people, seeing new places, finally getting to explore the world that had been far too dangerous for you to venture out into. Finally getting to see the world with your own eyes had scratched an itch that had been torturing you for most of your life, and you were finally satisfied.

Well... almost.

In your time spent out exploring all of Hyrule, your mind kept returning to him, to the towering prince who swept you off your feet, to Sidon. You thought back to your awkward first encounter, being incredibly grateful he had been so polite and taking your embarrassed ramblings with stride. You thought to your accidental flirting that eventually evolved into real flirting. You thought that maybe it had been mutual? That kiss goodbye you left with so long ago probably made your intentions clear, but you worried about what he'd think seeing as how you'd been gone so long...

You tried to get back sooner, but life had gotten in the way. Finally, after all this time, you were walking the trail back up to Zora's Domain, ready to find your prince.

Zora's Domain looked just as beautiful as you remembered, if not more so in the glimmering light of the morning. It looked busier than when you were first here, all different varieties of Zora coming and going, even a few Hylians scattered about, making you feel slightly less alienated in the almost foreign place. As you stepped into the heart of the Domain you looked once again at the magnificent statue of Mipha you fell in love with when you first came. You'd have to draw up another picture of her while you were here. Zora children ran around you, almost knocking you off your feet and pulling you from your thoughts. You remembered why you were here and touched the sack you had tied to your belt. You held it close as you scanned the area for the tallest Zora you'd ever seen, the reason you were back in the first place.

The sun shone off his red scales and you couldn't help but grin. He was standing at the top of the stairs near the throne room, speaking to one of the Zora guards who looked to be about half his height. Their conversation didn't seem to be anything too serious as you saw him smiling down at the smaller Zora, but there weren't many others nearby. This was your chance, it was now or never. You strode up the steps towards them with all the confidence you could muster.

The Zora guard saw you first. She looked away from the prince over to you as you approached and you suddenly felt your stomach jump. You were beginning to get cold feet the closer you got to them, but there was no backing out now. Although, what if he didn't remember you? You bit the inside of your cheek, sweat starting to prickle your forehead. What would you do if he didn't even know your name?

Prince Sidon noticed that the attention was no longer on him and turned around, seeing you approach. You stopped in your tracks, mere feet from him as he loomed over you, his presence absolute. Though all your fears were soon washed away as the warmest smile spread across his lips and reached up to his beautiful yellow eyes.

You didn't give him a chance to speak before you quickly turned down to the bag you had at your hip. You untied it and dove your arm elbow deep before grabbing the tail of a large fish and pulling it out, holding it up above your head for all to see. With a grin you dropped the massive fish at Sidon's feet, splashing up the water below you, drenching your shoes, but you didn't care. He looked between you and the fish questioningly before you explained.

"That right there, my prince, is the largest fish I'd ever caught." You sounded quite proud of yourself as you placed your hands on your hips. You saw something click in his eyes as he came to a realization, and you watched as his face turn as red as the rest of his scales. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is how, in your culture, you ask someone out on a date."

You felt a knot in your stomach as the guard Sidon had been talking to broke out into a fit of giggles. Sidon cleared his throat and glared down at his companion, causing her to quite herself and look down at you apologetically.

"I'm sorry," She spoke, a smile still on her face.

"Actually, dear River..." Sidon looked into your eyes and a smirk formed in the corner of his mouth. "In my culture, this is how you ask for someone's hand in marriage."

"Wait, what?" Your eyes went wide as you held up your hands defensively. You felt yourself begin to panic. "W-wait, that's not what I meant, I-I, wait-"

You were interrupted by both Sidon and the guard laughing together, and Sidon quickly placed his hand on your shoulder to soothe you. "I jest!" He grinned. "I'm sorry, really. You... Almost had it right. Not quite, but I admire your effort." He straightened himself and placed his hand on his chin, looking down at you curiously. "So, you're asking me out on a date, then? And with such confidence too!"

"Yes! It took me quite some time to work up the courage to do this. Please give me your answer, before I lose it." You sounded a little rude, but after all that, you wanted to just skip the banter.

"Of course." He answered immediately, holding out his hand for yours. You let out a breath you hadn't known you were holding and slipped your fingers into his warm palm.

"Great!" You grinned. "Uh... Honestly, I didn't think I'd get this far. I don't know what to do next." You looked up at him sheepishly. "Please help."

The Zora guard cleared her throat and interrupted. "My Prince, I'll, uh, find you again. When you're less busy." She gave a small bow to the two of you before giving you a wink and walking off.

Sidon chuckled and squeezed your hand slightly. "My dear, I have a few things I need to attend to. Let me take care of those and I'll find you later, alright?"

"Okay!" You were a little too giddy now. You coughed and tried to play it off but he just chuckled at you. Sidon bent down and kissed the back of your hand, glancing up and catching your eyes for just a moment before breaking his gaze. He scooped the fish you had brought for him up off the floor and admired it.

"You better keep that forever." You said, crossing your arms.

"That's not actually how it works." He smiled down at you and bid you farewell before parting. You watched him go until he was out of your sight and let out a heavy sigh. Alright, now what?

It was late afternoon when Sidon found you again. You'd spent your time wandering around the domain, exploring what you could before your date. Sidon had found you sitting near Mipha's statue, having started sketching another picture to once again capture her stoic beauty for yourself to keep.

"River?" Sidon's voice called to you as he approached and you jumped at the suddenness of it. He chuckled and held his hand out to you to help you to your feet. "Sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up on you this time."

" _This_ time." You smiled and tossed your book back into your bag, throwing it over your shoulder. "Listen, I hope you don't mind. I've done some research into your customers, but I think I've already proved that I'm not going to be good at this. So... Just, bear with me, okay?"

"Would you be alright if I were to take it from here?" Sidon asked, looking much more composed than you.

"Thank you." You let out a sigh of relief and took his hand in yours.

Sidon led you far out of the main city, to a reservoir on the outskirts of the domain that looked over everything. It was absolutely beautiful, and you looked out over the land completely awestruck. You were now in a large, secluded area, a huge lake surrounded by mountains. You stood at a dock made of the same Zora architecture that surrounded you everywhere, and there was a small building nearby that Sidon led you to. Just inside of it's large, open walls was a lovely little sitting area with a bed in the middle.

"I do hope you don't mind," Sidon spoke as he took you by the hand and led you out onto the dock. "This spot means a lot to me. My sister and I spent quite a lot of time here as children. This is also the same place where I aided the hero, Link, in calming the Divine Beast Vah Ruta." You looked up at him with big eyes. Did he mean the great, giant beast you saw sitting on the horizon of Zora's Domain? Sidon saw the look of excitement in your eyes and couldn't help but smile. "Would you like me to tell you that story?"

"Yes!" You sounded a little over-eager, but this is what you were here for.

Sidon chuckled at your enthusiasm. "Alright. But first, dinner." 

Sidon retreated from you back over to the gazebo-like building where, when you drew closer, you could smell a deliciously savory aroma coming from that direction. You hadn't realized just how hungry you were until you smelt the food. You looked around Sidon to see he was holding to bowls of food in his hands, one for the each of you. You'd wanted to grab it from him like a small child but instead, you stood tall and grinned as he presented to you your dinner.

"Is this the fish I caught for you?" You'd asked, accepting the bowl from Sidon.

"Indeed. It's custom for the recipient to cook the fish they've been gifted."

"There're a lot of Zora customs I don't know about yet..."

"More than you realize." Sidon ushered you back over to the water's edge where he sat, his legs dangling in the lake. You placed your bowl down on the ground so you could kick off your boots and roll up your pant legs to join him. The two of you sat in silence for a short while as you ate. To your surprise, Sidon was actually quite good at cooking. Not as good as yourself, but better than you'd expected.

"Now, River, pardon me if I make you uncomfortable, but I must tell you..." Sidon spoke while you glanced up at him with large, questioning eyes. You saw the corner of his mouth twitch as he then looked past you, out over the water.

You gulped your food painfully. "So... Don't tell me. Did I _actually_ ask you to marry me?"

"No, that was only a small joke." Sidon couldn't look at you now, instead, you just watched his face become quite red again. "The gift you gave me is actually something one partner would do for another while... In heat. As a... Mating ritual, as you would call it."

There was just the sound of the blowing wind and the moving water between you two for the longest time. You had no idea what to say, so instead, after a few moments of wide-eyed dread, you pulled your knees out of the water and pressed your forehead into them. You wrapped your arms around your legs and buried your face so deep in your thighs you couldn't see the light of day anymore.

"River?" Sidon asked, placing his hand on your shoulder to make sure you were alright.

"Nope! River isn't here anymore. I'm gone. Forever." You spoke, your voice muffled into your pants.

"Please, I take no insult." Sidon chuckled at your behavior and placed his hand on top of your head. He gently stroked your hair until you peaked out up at him. "You could imagine my surprise when you came back to my home after all this time and very boldly try to seduce me." He actually managed to look you in the eye while speaking, you didn't know how, though. "Had you not stated your intentions out loud I would not have known. I think it would be best if the two of us stuck with the Hylian way of courtship if that's alright with you." He handled himself with such grace, and yet you sat there, wanting nothing more than to launch yourself off the dock and into the water.

"Oh Hylia, Sidon, I'm so sorry. Since the day we met all I've done is embarrass myself in front of you. I don't know how you put up with it. Why am I even here?" You dropped your head into your hands and groaned. You felt Sidon rub your back.

"River, it's okay. Only one person witnessed you trying to seduce me and they thought nothing of it."

"Oh no that guard saw me!" You sat up, wide-eyed and absolutely devastated. Sidon laughed and you leaned back onto your hands and looked up at the sky. "This has got to be the worst first date ever."

"Then we'll have to make sure our next one is better." Sidon smiled as he looked down at you. Your stomach was in knots now.

Silence fell between you two as you picked your food back up and continued to eat. Slowly a conversation picked up and in no time at all you were both talking and laughing again. This was nice, it was simple, intimate... A thought popped in your head. 

"Hey, so, if giving you a fish is a way of seducing you, what does it mean that you went forward and cooked it?"

You watched Sidon's face go red again, it was your turn now to embarrass him. "Well, um. Traditionally the person to receive the gift is to cook the fish with a known aphrodisiac to help progression with mating." You nearly spit out your food when he said that. "I didn't add it, of course, as that wasn't your intention. Although I would have felt out of place not doing something nice for you, so I just made a simple meal. I do hope you don't mind."

"Wow. This relationship is going so fast." You joked and he snickered. Eventually, the two of you fell back into casual conversation, and you'd asked him to finally tell you the story of helping the hero, Link, save all of Zora's Domain. Sidon was more than happy to tell, as he seemed more than excited to talk about Link. His eyes lit up as he spoke of the hero's accomplishments, and at one part of the story, he dove into the water to try and reenact some of the more exciting moments. You were more than happy to watch him perform these feats, he was fascinating to you. Eventually, Sidon had swam back up to the edge of the dock, but instead of joining you on land, he stayed in the water and instead rested his arms on the dock, supporting his chin on his knuckle as he looked up at you for a change.

"Is that how you got this scar?" You asked, reaching out to trace your fingers along the damaged skin at the side of his head. His eyes tracked your movements, watching you caress him.

"No. That's actually another story." He smiled up at you. You grinned expectantly, but he just chuckled. "For another time, perhaps. So tell me, where exactly have you been these months?" You were a little surprised to hear Sidon ask about you, as you'd been so caught up in wanting to know everything about him.

"I've been traveling, as I've always wanted to ever since I was little." You shifted yourself so you were lying on your stomach. You were much closer to him now than you'd ever been before, your faces just inches away, but you looked down at his arms and gently traced your fingers along his skin as you spoke. "The first place I went after I left here was Death Mountain. Luckily I was able to snag some fire-resistant potions, otherwise, I would have burnt to a crisp."

"We wouldn't want that, now, would we." Sidon smiled, looking directly into your eyes. His hand found yours and laced your fingers together. Your face went bright red but you tried to continue onward.

"The Gorons were a lot nicer than I thought they'd be. The same I can say about you and your people. After that, I finally saw Hyrule castle for the first time with my own eyes. It was dark, desolate... But it was still so grand. After that, I made it all the way to the Hebra region, and I saw the Rito. The village elder there greeted me as if I was an old friend... I thought he was very nice. Because of that, all the other Rito treated me very kind as well. I didn't see other Hylians get that sort of treatment. Then I made my way to the Gerudo Desert. It was lovely, honestly my favorite place of all, if it weren't so hot. I purchased some jewelry there to go with the ring I found!" You lifted your hand up to Sidon to show him that you were still wearing that tarnished ruby ring you found six months ago in the Zora River.

"And then, I went home." You said thoughtfully, and you leaned your head so your cheek rested against the back of Sidon's hand. You looked at him, now eye level for the first time. "After being home again finally, I realized I couldn't stay."

"And why was that?" Sidon asked, his voice so low it took the breath out of your lungs.

"I... Couldn't stop thinking about you." You'd silently made the decision that, since you'd embarrassed yourself in front of him so many times already, once more couldn't hurt. "My picture doesn't quite do you justice."

"And you are much more radiant in real life than even in my wildest dreams." Sidon's words almost stopped your heart. Your eyes were wide and you lifted your head. Sidon caught himself after what he said and he almost looked embarrassed, but you leaned in closer.

"Listen, Sidon, I don't... I don't normally kiss on the first date. But," You leaned in so close that your forehead lightly touched his. "But, I would like to kiss you." You whispered.

The combination of your words and the contact of your skin on his seemed a little more than he could bear. He got extremely shy for a moment, pulling away and looking deep into your eyes. He realized that the contact of your foreheads touching didn't mean quite as much to you as it did to him, but after a moment of composing himself, he leaned back into you. Sidon reached up and placed his hand on your cheek, gently nuzzling his forehead back into yours. A small sigh escaped his throat and you could feel his hot breath on your face. You don't know when you closed your eyes, but you leaned into his touch as if it were the only thing that mattered to you in the world. Sidon's hand pulled your chin closer to his, your nose brushing against his face before he paused, savoring your small shutter from his gentle manipulations of your movements.

When your lips finally met his you couldn't help but melt into him. A wave of bliss washed over you from your very core, and then Sidon deepened the kiss, leaning into you hot, heavy, and full of need. A small moan, almost whimper, erupted from you as you'd leaned back into him. Though your noises were quiet, Sidon was almost startled by it and pulled back as to make sure you were alright. He leaned his forehead back into yours and his eyes almost bore holes through your own as he stared at you, making sure he didn't cross a line. Your lips still felt the lingering warmth and you wanted nothing more for it to return, so without thinking, you pressed back into him and captured your lips into his own. Your movements were so forceful you'd pushed him back into the water, with you following.

Your upper half almost dunked completely into the water, but Sidon caught you before you fell. "Careful now." His voice was still soft with you. He lifted you back up onto the dock and lifted himself out of the water as well. The front of your tunic was soaking wet and rather uncomfortable, but you didn't regret it one bit. You looked up at Sidon's hunched over figure, looming over you in a thoughtful way. You watched the water drip down off of his body and you wanted to touch him more than you'd ever wanted anything in your entire life, but you refrained.

"I keep making a fool of myself," You chuckled. "I'm sorry."

"You're alright, you're perfect." Sidon grinned, showing his large, pointed teeth and placed his palm on your cheek. You couldn't help but lean into his hand.


End file.
